Journal
NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE
Volume 18, Issue 3, Pages 307-311Publisher
WOLTERS KLUWER MEDKNOW PUBLICATIONS
DOI: 10.4103/1119-3077.151714
Keywords
And pneumococcal immunization; immigrant children; internationally adopted children; vaccination status
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Aims: International adoption medicine is a relatively new specialty in pediatrics that has emerged to address the specific health care needs of internationally adopted children in high-income countries. This study ascertains the seroprotection rate for vaccine-preventable diseases, especially against pneumococcal diseases. Patients and Methods: We evaluated 67 internationally adopted children that reached the International Adoption Unit of Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital, Rome-Italy. We collected demographic information, data from preadoption immunization records, results of laboratory testing for immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases (tetanus, pneumococcus, hepatitis B, hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), measles), as well as results of screening for HIV, hepatitis C, quantiferon, immunological and nutritional status. Results: For children that had received >= 3 vaccine doses of tetanus, overall protection was 94% of 31 vaccinated children; with 1-2 vaccine doses for hepatitis B and Hib respectively, protection was 45% of 29 vaccinated children and 63% of 8 vaccinated children, respectively. For children with one or more doses of measles vaccine, protection was 63% of 32 vaccinated children. Regarding pneumococcus vaccine (documented for eight children), 88% of children with one or more doses of vaccine had developed protective immunity. Conclusions: International adoptees without a valid vaccine record need to undergo a complete schedule in accordance with their age and should receive all the vaccines in the adoptive country's schedule.
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